In an effort to make the calendar a little easier to read, we’ve moved it to its own page. Just click the link at the very top of the sidebar, the one that says “FaireNews.com’s Calendar of Events Page” and the calendar will open in a new tab. One of the cool things we did […]

At least for non-profits, it might be the only way to get your message out. So says Angela Connor, the Online Community Strategist, in “A word to non-profits: Stop depending on traditional media.” She presented a session during the NC Center for Non-profits Statewide Conference a couple of weeks ago, where she addressed the difficulties […]

… fall off the face of the earth. I made it home safely from Minnesota after spending a wonderful closing weekend there at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. I met so many people that I had known, through text, for years. There’s a trip report coming about that soon, I promise. And it’s not that I […]

Memorial Day weekend is upon us and many of the faires will open their gates all three days. The FaireNews crew will be at Tennessee Renaissance Festival for our Handfasting, as well as to participate in Ménage ‘Ette Trois and the 3rd RenaissanceFestival.com RenDezvous. California Koroneburg European Old World Festival continues this weekend with a […]

Just thought I’d share what I found while reviewing the site statistics. Someone has added the “Getting To Know You” faire survey post to Wikipedia as a reference for the article “True Scotsman” Who’d a thunk it?

Well, we decided that we needed a new vehicle, something that got better gas mileage but still has room for all the things you have to take to Faire! After all, we have armor, swords, wedding dresses, and who knows what else to get in for our Tennessee Renaissance Festival trip. Anyway, I spent the […]

There’s a survey circulating amoung my friends on MySpace especially designed for those of us who frequent Renaissance, Medieval, Fantasy, Pirate, and Faerie Festivals and Faires. Thought I’d share it here as a way to get to know my readers. I’m going to post the questions, then I’ll start it off by posting my answers as the first comment. I’d love to hear from you. […]

Auditions Did everyone who was interested get their appointments to audition for the Connecticut Renaissance Faire? Auditions occur on April 12 and 13 and details are on the website. Open Faires The Escondido Renaissance Faire’s second, and final, weekend will be sunny and warm. The Four Winds Renaissance Faire celebrates Renaissance Romance with patrons renewing […]

March has ended and I thought I’d provide another update for those of you who are enjoying Faire News. The number of unique readers grew again this month and we had almost 50 visitors per day. Thanks to those of you who are helping to spread the word. I was surprised to find that Tuesday […]

The University of Oklahoma Medieval Faire, also known as the Norman Medieval Faire, is this weekend only and offers some great entertainment and over 200 artisans. It looks like there’s great weather on tap for the event. The University Film and Video Studies program, in conjunction with the Medieval Faire, is presenting a Medieval Film […]

Dinner Impossible will air Medieval Mayhem again beginning April 2. In that episode, Robert Irvine cooks for the King and court at the Maryland Renaissance Festival. The schedule and recipes can be found at the website. Upper Canada Medieval Festival, June 13-15 in Morrisburg, Ontario is calling for vendors. Scarborough Renaissance Festival held its annual […]

There are lots of things happening this weekend. You’ll see many a first greeting or parting hug as performers audition for upcoming casts and Faires open or close the gates for the season. Auditions: The Shakespeare and Friends Renaissance Faire auditions occur on Friday, March 28, 2008 at 6:00pm on the Eastern Tennessee State University […]

I’ll admit to a touch … ok, really a giant amount … of wanderlust. So learning that there will be a Medieval Fayre in Perth, Australia, just set me to figuring how I could get there. Looks like it won’t be this year, it conflicts with closing weekend at the Bay Area Renaissance Festival which […]

Kentucky’s Highland Renaissance Festival rescheduled open auditions for March 29 at the site. More details can be found in the Kentucky Forum thread “Auditions Take Three.” The Great Lakes Medieval Faire, which runs July 5 through August 10, announced their themed weekend schedule. Looks like fun for all. Kergan’s Renaissance Guild, a group of friends located in Northern […]

Auditions & Job Fairs: Geulph Faery Festival in Ontario, Canada, will hold open auditions on Monday, March 17th. Workshops: Multi Guild Workshop Weekends are two-day events held in Central California, (Ventura County) two to three times a year. Reenactment groups from all over come together to forge new relationships, provide great hands on education, and […]

Working at Faire: Good luck to all those that interviewed or auditioned for Midsummer Renaissance Festival (Pennsylvania) and Scarborough Renaissance Festival (Texas) this past weekend, I hope your dreams come true. For those in Kentucky, I’ll let you know as soon as I see an update on the audition schedule for the Kentucky Renaissance Festival. […]

I was introduced to Teribus yesterday in a post made by one of the band members, Kevin “Nevik” Hartnell. Nevik alerted readers on the RenaissanceFestival.com forums of Bagpipe and Celtic Music Workshops being scheduled in conjunction with a Teribus concert at The Center for World Rhythms & Movement in Cincinnati, Ohio on March 22, 2008. I spent […]

Striding across the festival grounds, oar banner in hand, the redheaded pirate grins at the ladies, throws jibes at the gents, and encourages the little ones to run away and join his crew. On stage later with his partner, he puts his wits and cutlass to work charming the audience. The roars of laughter at their escapades create the euphoria that is like nothing else in the world for him. Let me introduce you to Tom “Red” Zadoyko. […]

Porter and Stout had an outstanding turnout Thursday, Feb 28th, at the Claddagh Irish Pub for the recording of their new Live CD. Both musicians commented on how much they appreciated their fans. Those who were able to attend Owain Phyfe’s appearance at Down Under Wines on the 28th say that it was nice and […]

You all helped FaireNews.com exceed the goals we had set for this month. We had 621 unique visitors, not a lot by some standards but more than double January’s count and that was all I was shooting for. The top 10 posts of February were: Have you met the Sidesaddle Encampment with Dark Horse Aside? Looking Back at February […]

Bay Area Renaissance Festival (BARF) We had a great time this weekend at BARF in Tampa, Florida. There was general first day confusion at the ticket booths causing some frustration to the patrons Saturday. Hopefully that will be resolved as the season progresses. Opening the ticket booth after opening cannon was not impressive. Everyone coming […]

Found on the RenaissanceFestival.com Texas Renaissance Festival forum this morning: 2008 DG Loki Challenge The 2008 Drunken Gnome Loki Challenge Contest Will Be Held Saturday Night Opening Weekend Of TRF 2008 In The Drunken Gnome Camp. The Yahoo Group For The Contest Has Been Set Back Up … We will update all the databases and […]

The bow flew across the strings producing a bouncy tune as the crowd milled about in the room reserved for vendors catering to fairegoers 18 and older. The stage, high and small at the end of the room on the edge of traffic flow, had almost no audience area but that did not faze the fiddler in the least. She played for herself as much as for the crowd, her concentration fierce but her smile quick when she glanced up and caught someone’s eye. When she began to sing people stopped to listen and, at the appropriate moment, she pulled a kilted lad in for a bit of audience participation. The lyrics to “Angus”—a song about the making and showing of a bridegroom’s kilt—and antics of the two produced much laughter from the growing crowd, movement through the room stopping. This was not the first time I had seen her play under adverse conditions and win the crowd over. Let me introduce you to NeidFyre. […]

*grinning* The following is not a paid advertisement though, if you use the link to make a purchase, Amazon will send us a few pennies to help support FaireNews. We went to The Florida Renaissance Festival in Deerfield Beach (near Ft Lauderdale) this weekend. We picked up the wee ones, got them in garb and […]

Faires this weekend in Florida and Arizona are expecting sunny weather in the mid to high 70s. Please stay hydrated and wear your sunscreen. Don’t forget your lips. These thoughts are on my mind because so far this year I’ve had a touch of bodice burn, a sunburn induced blistered lip, and a friend with […]

Rat pucking had just ended and we turned to wander the lanes of faire in the late afternoon. The sounds of the whips cracking drew my attention to the roped off area where two men were “playing” at a serious game. Six-foot bullwhips cracked then took to the air like gyrating snakes as the opponents tossed them back and forth, each trying to catch and crack first. I watched, mesmerized, as the younger played with the whip, wrapping it around his body, coiling and writhing, only to be caught and cracked, then tossed again. In the background, a man sat astride a quarter horse watching and encouraging the demonstrators, occasionally adding his whip to the combinations. Stepping to the side, I caught a glimpse of tall blacks in the staging area with several women working them. A sidesaddle, obviously made for a Lady to ride, encircled the taller of the two. Let me introduce you to the Sidesaddle Encampment with Dark Horse Aside. […]

We’re home from WickedFaire safe and sound. Our flight was a piece of cake, Continental getting us there and back in spite of snow at Newark Liberty as we waited to board. Once again Kayak.com gave us the best selection and helped us get the best price. I’ll review WickedFaire as part of tomorrow’s post but wanted […]

*chuckling* Didn’t get the post ready before it was time to head out, so I’m sitting in the Orlando Airport writing this update. Feb 8-10 – Re-enactor Fest 4– Chicago, Illinois – This is an event for any serious re-enactor spanning from the days of the Roman Empire through WWII. It’s a good thing the whole thing is being […]

January 30, 2008 The Kentucky Highland Renaissance Festival announced two new shows for their 2008 season. The Dark Knights Joust and Fratelli, both productions of Cavallo Equestrian Arts of Davenport, Florida, have videos on the Festival’s home page. Check them out, looks like a couple of great shows! The Food Network’s “Dinner Impossible – Medieval […]

FaireNews.com is now one month old and it is with great pleasure that I say “Thank You!” to each and every one of you that has helped make my dream a reality. With the last tick of the clock on Jan 31st, my first goal was met. 350 unique visitors to Faire News in the […]

I’m gonna’ cheat just a bit and start this week’s Looking Forward with Friday, though Feb 1st was covered last week too. February 1-3 Hoggetowne Medieval Faire will once again open the gates for visitors to come in to the shire. Saturday and Sunday are predicted to be nice but Weather.com has thunderstorms set for Friday before noon. […]

The final chess match of the day would start in ten minutes and the crowd was beginning to grow. Bleachers behind the opposing sides began to fill. The callers and announcers stood on stage to the third side and, on the fourth, bales of hay became seating for a third faction of the audience. As the time drew nearer, members of The Thieves’ Guild moved on to the field and took up positions in front of each bleacher. The white and black side audiences were encouraged to cheer for the fighters assigned to their side. In front of the hay bales stood a young girl, assigned the task of getting the “grey” side involved in the game. Little did she know what the event held in store. Let me introduce you to Spade. […]

Softly, the harp and flute played in the lanes of the Kiwanis-Lee County Medieval Faire, a lilting voice beginning when the flute stopped. I followed the sounds and spied the couple sitting in a shady area between two merchants. Both were dressed in green, he blond, she a brunette, and they played and sang to those strolling through the faire. Let me introduce you to The Harper and The Minstrel. […]

Despite winds that flattened some tents during the week, everything was back in order and the Kiwanis/Lee County Medieval Faire went on as scheduled on January 19 & 20. A casting call was held for the Kentucky Renaissance Festival. Good luck to all those who made it out to audition in the freezing weather. Check their forums if you’re interested in what’s going on […]

I’ve added a Google calendar in the sidebar listing upcoming faires and festivals. It is always a work in progress so, if you see something that needs to be added, leave me a comment with a link to the event.